When in Italy, your eyes will surely feast over the natural wonders and beautiful architecture it has to offer. Aside from that, this country is also a paradise to every food lover who visits.

It’s hard to think of Italy without imagining their delicious cuisine. Italians are known for their love of food, cooking, and hundred-year-old family recipes that have been passed down to generations.

This is why there is an abundance of good restaurants all over the country where exquisite, signature Italian dishes are served.

So if you’re already planning your Italy trip, make sure to allot a day or two in eating authentic Italian dishes that you’ll never taste the same way anywhere else.

To give your planning a head start, we prepared a list of must-try Italian dishes you have to keep an eye on when in Italy!

#1 Taste Margherita Pizza in Naples

Surely, you wouldn’t miss this one as pizza is literally in every nook and corner of Italy. But both locals and tourists who’ve been in the area claim that there’s nothing like eating pizza in the city of Naples where it all started.

Make sure to grab a bite of the famous Margherita Pizza which has toppings that resembles the color of Italy’s flag — red tomatoes, green basil leaves, and white mozzarella cheese.

#2 Fill your rice fix with Risotto

If you’re a rice lover, you don’t have to worry about missing rice when you’re in Italy. Just order some risotto, an Italian rice dish that is cooked with broth until it becomes creamy, and you’re good to go.

You will never run out of risotto recipes to try as there are a lot of varieties to this dish depending on the topping or ingredient mixed. Make sure to try out the most popular ones like risotto ala pescatora which is mixed with seafood like claws, fish, and mussels, and risotto ala Milannese, a popular recipe from Milan, Italy which is rich in yellow color with saffron-infused flavor.

#3 Take the go-to Arancini on your trips

This Sicilian delight is the best bet for tourists who tend to prefer eating while on the move. It’s a heavy meal as these balls are filled with risotto inside, usually mixed with cheese and other ingredients, and then deep-fried. It’s like eating two Italian dishes in one, risotto and arancini combined.

#4 Try out truffles mixed in Tartufo Nero

Aside from pizza, pasta is another dish that you can’t miss eating in Italy. But since you’re already in the area, why not try a different kind of pasta dish?

Tartufo Nero, is a popular pasta dish flavored and topped with truffles, yes, the one of the most elusive and expensive foods in the world! If you want to make the most out of your truffle experience, head to cities like Tuscany, Piedmont, and Umbria where truffles are abundant and freshly picked for recipes.

#5 Fight the cold weather with Tortellini en Brodo

Another popular dish in Italy is tortellini en brodo or basically tortellini, a ring-shaped pasta stuffed with cheese and pork, soaked in a special chicken or beef-based broth. It’s a specialty dish of Bologna which only started as a soup during winter season. But now you can order this comfort food in most restaurants as a primo or first course.

#6 Find the best tasting Gelato in Italy

No gastronomic tour is complete without dessert! For Italy, gelato is the go-to sweet treat which comes in many flavors and sold almost everywhere.
Unfortunately, not every gelato you meet is worth writing home about but you can spot the real deal with a few signs. Veer away from artisan shops selling gelatos in bright colors as this means it’s not all natural and probably mixed with artificial coloring. For instance pistachio flavor shouldn’t be neon green and banana ones should be a bit greyish and not bright yellow.
You can also keep an eye out for stores with signs that say “produzione propria” which means it’s made on-site and “artigianale,” meaning it’s made the old-fashioned way with natural ingredients. There you go, now you know how to eat your way to the best tasting gelato in Italy!

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Every time you shop online, scan to pay with Maya QR, or pay your bills via the Maya app, you earn raffle entries to your ultimate Italian dream! For more chances of winning, here’s a list of Maya transactions you can do in order to earn more entries:

– Upgrade your virtual card (10 raffle entries)
– Link your physical card to your Maya app (10 raffle entries)
– Add money, at least P100 worth, to your Maya account (10 raffle entries)
– Upgrading your Maya account (10 raffle entries)
– Pay your bills, minimum of P100 per biller, via the Maya app (5 raffle entries per biller per day)
– Send money, minimum of P100 (1 raffle entry per day)
– Shop online and in stores (1 raffle entry for every P300 you spend)

Make any of your trips hassle-free and convenient just by bringing your Maya card with you! No need to worry about running out of foreign currency when you’re abroad as you can directly withdraw from ATMs using your Maya card. You can also pay for these Italian dishes we recommended as long as the restaurant accepts Mastercard and Visa payments. Start planning your trips using Maya, your reliable travel buddy!